Natureworks

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09 Oct Just Keep Planting!

I am amazed at how time is flying by. October is here and starting to display her blazing colors. Columbus Day weekend is coming up (and yes, we are open on Monday). For me, this is prime time for planting, dividing, and rearranging. On Sunday I spent many hours digging out a huge patch of gooseneck loosestrife that I inherited with my yard ten years ago (that stuff should be illegal!) and sifting the soil to prepare for new plantings that have been waiting in the wings for a few weeks. What’s in your holding area waiting to be planted? I hope a LOT. The soil is warm and the rains are finally deep and abundant. Everything you plant now will truly delight you next year.

Jen and Lisa are taking a break from their client’s gardens to help renovate the orange garden. Learn about the garden renovation process in our free Saturday morning workshop.

We are also in prime time for digging, dividing, and rearranging your plants. I have quite a nice long list of projects both at home and at Natureworks. This Saturday morning I am doing afree workshop on garden renovation. Before you charge into this work, take a moment to reflect, analyze, and make a plan of action. I will break it down for you into ten easy steps. At Natureworks, we pick a garden each year to renovate. This year it is our orange garden. The crews have already been hard at work removing some self sown plants that are now crowding out the desirable perennials and flowering shrubs. The reward after these labors is that we will have room to plant NEW plants. With a small property like Natureworks, we don’t start new gardens, we just keep playing with the ones we have. It never gets old, this gardening passion of ours.

At home I am in the midst of an enormous planting project- my lower yard which was overgrown with bittersweet and other invasive plants has been cleared and phase one is ready for planting. I am so excited! Evergreens for screening, pussywillows for late winter forcing, and many, many native shrubs will be planted in the next few weeks.

My veggie beds are still producing carrots, chard, and escarole but I am ready to yank the tomatoes and plant winter rye cover crop seed. I haven’t done this before. I usually cover the bare soil with shredded hay or leaves. By growing winter rye and then turning it in next spring I will be building a lot of needed organic matter in my thick, clay soil. Cover crops are also called “green manure”. It is an age old practice, very inexpensive and practical. You are actually growing your own fertilizer!

Erich is planting three types of cover crops in the bed along the side of the shop. Watch them grow and learn about this wonderful, inexpensive way to build your soil. We have seed available now!

When my crew came to help me with my new planting project in my lower back yard, they drove a machine over my lawn and made some deep ruts. They then added compost, grass seed, and shredded straw. I am so thrilled to see how quickly the new grass is growing back. NOW is your opportunity to plant grass seed and fix your problem areas. You can do this until the middle of the month. Diane has decided to put many lawn supplies on sale at 20% off, including grass seed to encourage you to do this. Believe me, fall lawn renovation really works. Don’t wait until spring when the weed seeds are sprouting like crazy, establish new lawns now. NEWSFLASH! Diane is putting all kinds of hardgoods on sale- Dr. Earth, EcoSmart, Espoma, cedar mulch, Neem, Spinosad, Sluggo etc, until they are gone. See the sale block below for the details.

Helianthus ‘First Light’ is what I now see when I sit on my deck.

Speaking of sales, we are steadily adding past-bloom to our Deep Discount tables. At the sametime, we have amazing fall blooming plants that continue to arrive on our benches- pansies, Nemesias, and Diascias are the best cold tolerant annuals that will happily bloom through all the frosts of October. Global Warming Mums and many other perennial mums are everywhere- these will get bigger and better every year.Perennial sunflowers are gorgeous right now- I just planted Helianthus ‘First Light’ next to my deck on Sunday where a bedraggled old juniper was removed. The bees are really happy with my choice. Some of the choicest asters are also on our benches right now- Aster laevis ‘Bluebird’, Aster oblongifolius ‘October Skies’, and Aster ‘Lady in Black’

Aster ‘October Skies’

Our shop is completely redecorated with new terrariums, miniature plants, and air plants

Do stop by this week and soak up some of the glorious color that October has to offer. Our last Earlybird Sale of the fall is this Saturday. If you shop between 7-9 am you will get a $5 gift card. We will have a nice pot of organic coffee waiting for you. It is such a pretty time of year. Take advantage of every beautiful day to soak up the sun and add a few more plants to your gardens.